Job mobility and new opportunities

Going back a few decades, changing jobs was considered to say the least, risky. One came out of school and got a job that would see him through until he was of pensionable age. Opportunities were, to say the least limited for those with post secondary education or lower. It was either the civil service, one of the local banks or one of the parastatal entities for those lucky ones. These jobs were considered priceless. Once you got in, you had life time job security, a salary that was guaranteed at the end of each month and no risk at all. One progressed according to seniority and the occasional examination, leaving no or little room for initiative. Many have been the recorded cases of civil servants who sat at the same desk, on the same chair, pushing the same pen for twenty years and this is no joke.

This caused an across border complacency and the efficiency
or rather the lack of it in government departments and parastatal entities are
witness to this. The general shabbiness of the offices, painted in two tone
government issue yellow and magnolia and the obligatory neon lights whose
covers were the mausoleum of a thousand and one different species of insects
did not do much to help either.

Luckily times change and with it the trends related to work.
Cost efficiency started being given more consideration and with the opening of
world markets and the advancement of technology, opportunities grew not only
nationwide but even more so internationally. Slowly but gradually people came
to realize that taking risks was worthwhile given the right conditions and that
changing jobs was not quite a tragedy after all.

With EU membership came a myriad of opportunity. Suddenly we
were faced with a market in which there was much more demand than supply for
qualified personnel and the seniority system could not cope with this demand.
Government entities had to open their doors and recruit from outside, whilst
still giving the opportunity to the civil servants that wanted to qualify
themselves to advance according to their abilities and not their age. Technical
posts were and still are on the increase and this need in itself has been the
catalyst for the civil service to start operating in a more businesslike
manner.

The way we look at the labour world today has also triggered
a need for more flexibility. Life – work balance is being given much more
importance than ever before and eight to four jobs might soon be a thing of the
past in certain sectors. Indeed they will be the exception and not the rule.

When telework and flexitime were first introduced, many
raised an eyebrow or three; sceptics argued that this new trend will lead to
time wasting, abuse and lack of accountability. Facts and statistics have today
proven the doubters wrong. Flexibility has given a chance to those persons who
for various reasons cannot or do not want to work normal working hours. It has
given the chance to those mothers with young children not to throw away years
of studying just because they chose to start a family, to dads to be able to
spend more quality time with their kids, or their bike!

With the traditional family model as we knew it a decade ago
no longer the norm, needs have changed and the labour market had to adapt.

As technology makes giant leaps, even the simple office
concept is changing. One can run a successful business whilst having no fixed
office. I myself am writing this article in a co-working cafe, that offers
cutting edge facilities, and a relaxed quiet atmosphere at a very reasonable
price. Places like this makes concentrating easier and this concept is set to
grow rapidly with time.

We are living in an exciting era, where every day offers new
opportunities, new challenges and fresh openings. This kind of change has to be
embraced and unlike before, businesses and entities have to adjust according to
the need of the employees and not vice versa. Human resource is the most
important asset a company can ever have. Lifelong learning schemes will keep
giving all the chances to those who want to advance and improve their careers
and position. Moreover those who want to do something new all together can now
start all over. Those who opt for a new career are on the increase and this is
proof of how open the market of today is.

Before the turn of the millennium most of those who reached the
age of thirty were married, in a stable relationship, with a stable job and a
couple of kids. Things are different now and people are keener to experience
new things in life before settling down.

We need to embrace change not only because we have to but
because it is with change that we can move forward successfully. Team building,
rewarding competence and balancing work with leisure all lead to more harmony
at the place of work, be it a professional office, a manufacturing company or
gardening and landscaping firm.

The employees’ output should be valued and this will directly
lead to more productivity and ultimately more profit. One cannot have satisfied
customers when the employees are not happy on their job. As Sir Richard Branson
correctly summed it – “Take care of your employees and they will take care of
your business, it’s as simple as that”

About the Author

Essentially a Valletta boy, with all the pros and cons that come with that title.A lover of life, opinionated, curious and sensitive to local issues. An avid reader and an art and literature aficionado. Left handed, right winger whatever that might mean nowadays.